Kat Clark, Will Gibb, and Jimmy Jan spill on social media stardom

These Aussie TikTokers have more eyeballs on their videos than the morning news. Here’s how they got started.

Aussie TikTok creators Jimmy Jan, Kat Clark and William Gibb. Picture: Richard Dobson

WE asked three of Australia’s most famous TikTokers why they started making videos, and how the short clips snowballed into their full time jobs.

“It’s fun,” says Jimmy Jan, a Newcastle medical student who got bored while in rehab for the freak skiing accident that left him paralysed in 2021.

The 22-year-old gained 699K followers documenting his life as a wheelchair user, showing people how to live life to the fullest, no matter the circumstances.

“It’s still crazy to me that people consider me a role model,” Jan said.

“I’m out here just doing what I normally do, living my life, and it’s pretty cool that people vibe with that.”

Jimmy Jan is a NSW medical student who started making TikToks while bored in rehab for a ski accident in 2021. Picture: Richard Dobson

Kat Clark, 35, started making TikTok dances for her pre-teen daughter. She is nominated for Creator of the Year at TikTok’s For You Fest on Thursday, and also took out Digital Creator of the Year at the AACTAs.

“My daughter said: ‘Mum you actually have an interesting life, you should vlog it’. I committed to a video a day for 30 days, and it went ballistic,” Clark, who became a mum at 17 and has 3.3M followers, said.

Kat Clark, 35, is a Queensland mum who was an early adopter of the app, at the behest of her 11-year-old daughter. Picture: Richard Dobson

“People like our family dynamic because it’s not your typical family,” she said, of raising her daughters, aged 19 and 11.

Comedian Will Gibb said he was trying sketches out on Instagram, but only his friends were seeing them.

“I was so starved of attention, and I’d just finished my shift at the worst job I’d ever had — delivery driving. And I gave it a go.”

Sydney-based comedian Will Gibb quickly amassed 1.3M followers for his satirical comedic stylings depicting the lives of everyday Aussies. Picture: Richard Dobson

The Sydney-based larrikin, who depicts the everyday lives of Australians, now has 1.3M followers and has toured the country with his comedy show.

“The hardest part is coming up with the idea,” he said, “but about 45 seconds goes into making a video. I force my roommate, who works a 9 to 5 to film, and it’s edited in 10-30 minutes. Then I just go back to bed, I’m kidding.”

More than 500 of Australia’s best TikTok creators have gathered in Sydney for the social media app’s creative camp, and live-streamed 2022 awards show. Picture: Richard Dobson

All three creators have turned their niches into full-time jobs, with Jan putting his studies on hold in 2023, and Gibb using the income to supplement his comedy writing.

However, they all agreed a viral video isn’t something you can plan for, or predict.

“Anytime I think a video’s going to go well, it always goes s..t,” Gibb said.

“That’s just the unpredictable nature of the app.”